Bangladesh begin their tour of New Zealand with a Twenty20 fixture in Hamilton and, despite the gulf between their respective standings in the pecking order of the game, both sides will look forward to the face-off as an opportunity to settle nerves and fire a strong opening salvo.
It can be argued that Shakib-al-Hasan's young Bangladesh side is cut out for the Twenty20 format. In the recent Tests against India there were passages of play where their batsmen combined premeditated aggression with caution, often several times in the same over. The newest format of the game, however, gives them the license to not have to shoulder arms, and to throw the kitchen sink at everything - something that their cavalier batting line-up will fancy. Add the attraction of a smaller ground and the absence of Shane Bond, and Bangladesh emerge as serious contenders for the solitary Twenty20 fixture at Seddon Park.
Even as the higher-ranked teams struggled to come to grips with the format, Bangladesh got off to a strong start in Twenty20s, winning three of their first four matches, including one against West Indies in the inaugural World Cup. Reality has caught up with them since, and the next nine matches ended in defeat.
The hosts have their own problems to address, and will hope that Mark Greatbatch's appointment as coach will end a tumultuous period that began with Andy Moles' resignation in October. One of the biggest problems New Zealand have faced in recent times, albeit in the longer formats, is their misfiring top-order. Greatbatch has already identified it as a priority area and will hope his batsmen use this platform to ease back into form.
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